Banana Bread Oatmeal

Would you believe me if I told you this delicious, hearty warm bowl of oatmeal is gluten free, dairy free, sugar free AND packed with super foods?!

If you’ve been reading my How To Eat Healthily During Exams series, found here, here, here and here, you may have seen the banana bread oatmeal recipe, so I thought I’d do a post on it! This breakfast is just a superhero – Its so delicious and is so good for you! The chia seeds are packed with protein and fibre so keep you feeling full for ages and you can easily get a portion of fruit into it.

I also filmed a video here:

Banana Bread Oatmeal vegan, gluten free and dairy free
Serves 1

1/2 Banana
Oats (not the microwaveable kind)
1 tablespoon chia seeds (I use milled chia seeds from Linwoods)
Cinnamon, to taste
A few chopped up pecans and/or walnuts
Liquid of your choice, I used water, but feel free to use any milk
note: feel free to use any sweetener, but I feel its sweet enough if I use a ripe banana.

Put oats in a sauce pan with water just covering it and leave it for 10-15 minutes with a lid on so it soaks up the liquid.

While this is happening, mash 1/4 of the banana and slice the other quarter into slices.

One the oats have soaked up the liquid, put in the cinnamon, mashed banana and chia seeds.

Cook on low for about 5 minutes until chia seeds soak up the water and the oatmeal increases in volume.

Once it is done, serve it up in a bowl and top with banana slices and nuts.
Add any sweetener if liked.

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How To Eat Healthily During Exams – Snacks

Now, I know I said breakfast was my favourite meal of the day, and yes, it is my favourite meal, but I love snacking, there’s no denying it!
Here are some healthy, but delicious snacks that won’t leave you craving cookies and crisps, but rather, satisfied and ready to work! It’s great to have snacks on hand as you’re most likely to be hungry after and exam, and keeps you from raiding the vending machine!

I normally revise for about 45 minutes and have a snack during mid morning, like five one listed below!

Kale chips
One of my favourites, and you guys seem to be loving it too! All you need to do is put some kale in the oven with any flavourings of your choice for 20 minutes, and you’ve got a healthy, quick snack on your hands.

Fruit
I love snacking on crunchy apples or juicy oranges, but you could always bring something easier, like blueberries or raspberries, that have minimal mess!

Carrots and cucumber with dips
It’s no secret that I am OBSESSED with hummus – it’s such a great snack full of protein and gets your daily veggie dose in! I’m yet to try making my own dips but found some delicious looking ones online, such as shutterbean’s Cilantro Hummus, Roasted Garlic Rosemary Pumpkin dip from Pinch of Yum or this amazing simple Baba Ganoush from Minimalist Baker

Nuts and seeds
Some if my favourites include cashews and almonds. You can make a trail mix to keep in your pocket to snack on throughout the day. They are great as they keep you feeling full. You can also roast them up with different flavours, like tamari and sesame! It’s also a great idea to make your own trail mix with nuts, coconut shreds, goji berries and dried cranberries.

I also love nut butters with banana – a match made in heaven!

Popcorn
Make sure to make it at home as its so easy. I use coconut oil and a touch of salt. I also love makinSo delicious and guilt free!

Not necessarily a snack, but Water
Just want to remind you to stay hydrated! This is so important as your brain needs water to function and make sure you’re drinking enough!
Keep a water bottle handy on your exam table at all times to make sure you’re drinking enough!

Check out the rest of the series: breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Once again, good luck to you all!

How To Eat Healthily During Exams – Lunch

If you haven’t seen my other posts in my Eat Healthily During Exams series, check out my breakfast, dinner and snacks posts!

I make sure to try and eat protein and whole grains at lunch as this keeps me more full and make sure to eat lots of vegetables. This will keep your brain going and provide you withs energy and the complex carbohydrates will keep you fuller for longer.

I also make my lunches the day beforehand so that I just put it all together in the morning.

Couscous Salad
This can also be made with quinoa, which is equally delicious
I also make this and add roast vegetables, such as courgette and aubergine.

Salmon with brown rice and barley
I roast the salmon the night before simply with salt and have it with brown rice and barley (I cook it together as I love the flavours and the texture). If I want to make it a bit more special, I marinade it in the morning!

Salads!
Ok, I know what you’re thinking, salad. how boring. But no! Salad can be delicious and filling, not just limp, lifeless salad leaves. I LOVE kale salads and they’re so versatile, you can really add anything and if you have some extra time on the weekend, why not make a delicious falafel salad! I love adding beans (chickpeas and black beans are my beans of choice), lots of vegetables and you can also add grains.

Sandwiches
I don’t regularly have sandwiches, as I’ve had packed lunch my whole life and kind of OD’d throughout primary school but every now and then I love a good hearty sandwich.
I love using more filling breads like rye or 100% wholewheat with seeds.
Some of my favourite fillings and grated carrot and hummus (so good), tuna with tomatoes, cucumbers etc (mayo can sometimes be a bit cloying, so I sometimes use Greek yoghurt), mashed chickpeas.

Noodles
I also love making noodles as they taste great cold. It’s so easy to make a simple tahini sauce peanut butter and sriracha sauce to put in a container and drizzle it on at lunch! It’s also a great way to add loads of fresh crunchy vegtables, like shaved carrot, bell peppers and cucumbers. I love making noodles with peanut sauce,vegetables and plenty of herbs for a Thai twist! Here’s another one of my favourite sesame soba salads.

Sides
With my lunch, I always bring lots of raw vegetables.
I love tomatoes, sugar snap peas and cucumbers as they are super hydrating.

Check out the rest of the series: breakfast, dinner and snacks!